Health studies popular with Year 12 graduates

The district’s secondary school graduates have received their first-round university offers, with a growing number preparing to study health and medicine courses.

Levi and his Trinity College classmate Hillary Woodcroft have accepted offers to study biomedicine at the University of Melbourne, while the Bachelor of Nursing at Deakin University was the most popular course for Colac’s 2011 graduates.

Trinity College graduate Levi Marotta is preparing to study biomedicine next year. Health degrees have proved popular for Colac Year 12 graduates.

Levi and Hillary said they planned to complete a Doctor of Medicine, and would consider returning to Colac to work.

“I’d definitely love to come back, I want to eventually specialise in surgery and I know they’re always looking for surgeons in rural and regional areas,” Hillary said.

“I think it’d be an advantage to come back and work in your home town,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to be a surgeon since I was 13 years old, so I’m glad I’ve gotten into the biomed course, because that’s the first step.”

Levi said Colac’s hospital was also in his sights.

“It’s entirely possible that some of us will end up back in Colac working at the hospital, and already knowing everyone would make it easier,” he said.

Colac Area Health chief executive officer Geoff Iles said he hoped to see Colac’s young people return to the district, where health professionals were often in demand.

“Firstly, it’s fantastic we have so many young people in the district who are looking to study in health professions and we’re delighted by the opportunity that could present in them coming back to complete their clinical placements,” Mr Iles said.

“By doing their clinical placements here, it gives them great experience in rural practice and then presents them with the opportunity to return home and work at Colac Area Health,” he said.

“When a young clinician starts off a career in an organisation like this, it gives them a lot of diversity in terms of career opportunities – they’re literally providing care from cradle to grave and all of the things that occur in life between those stages.”